George (ship)
Encyclopedia
George was an Australia
n sloop
wrecked in 1806.
George was a sloop of 28 tons that had been built on the Hawkesbury River
, New South Wales
for John Palmer of Sydney
.
On 15 May 1803 George ran aground on New Year's Island on its way to Bass Strait
. It was eventually refloated on 1 February 1804, although a carpenter drowned in the process. In 1806, George under the command of Thomas Birbeck was carried onto rocks by a strong current in Twofold Bay
in late January or early February. On refloating George it was found to be so badly damaged that it was immediately beached. The crew were attacked by aborigines throwing spears and burning grass. Birbeck and the crew opened fire and killed several aborigines. The crew then set off for Sydney in the ships boat and arrived there on 13 February 1806.
On 20 March 1806 the Venus left Sydney to find the wreck and refloat it. However on arrival it was discovered to be in such bad condition that the cargo of 5000 sealskins were removed and the ship set on fire to obtain the ironwork. The Venus returned to Sydney leaving a party of five behind for no apparent reason. One of the men, Yankey Campbell went missing on 20 April and was presumed to be killed by aborigines. The remaining four fought a pitched battle with some aborigines and then took to their small boat. Bad weather forced them to land at Jervis Bay
where they asked two aborigines to guide them to Sydney. They arrived in Sydney on 13 May 1806.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
wrecked in 1806.
George was a sloop of 28 tons that had been built on the Hawkesbury River
Hawkesbury River
The Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
for John Palmer of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
On 15 May 1803 George ran aground on New Year's Island on its way to Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
. It was eventually refloated on 1 February 1804, although a carpenter drowned in the process. In 1806, George under the command of Thomas Birbeck was carried onto rocks by a strong current in Twofold Bay
Twofold Bay
Twofold Bay is a bay on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. The bay has an area of about 30 square kilometres. Close to North Head is a conspicuous islet, Mewstone Rock. About five km south of the islet is Red Point which forms the southern headland of...
in late January or early February. On refloating George it was found to be so badly damaged that it was immediately beached. The crew were attacked by aborigines throwing spears and burning grass. Birbeck and the crew opened fire and killed several aborigines. The crew then set off for Sydney in the ships boat and arrived there on 13 February 1806.
On 20 March 1806 the Venus left Sydney to find the wreck and refloat it. However on arrival it was discovered to be in such bad condition that the cargo of 5000 sealskins were removed and the ship set on fire to obtain the ironwork. The Venus returned to Sydney leaving a party of five behind for no apparent reason. One of the men, Yankey Campbell went missing on 20 April and was presumed to be killed by aborigines. The remaining four fought a pitched battle with some aborigines and then took to their small boat. Bad weather forced them to land at Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay is a large bay bounded by the state of New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, and a detached enclave of the Australian Capital Territory. HMAS Creswell is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch in the Jervis Bay Territory.-History:...
where they asked two aborigines to guide them to Sydney. They arrived in Sydney on 13 May 1806.